Which of these two diamonds should I pick?

[Bbfe]

I'm a new user to PriceScope, but over the last few weeks, I've stumbled on this forum several times. This is my first post with PriceScope, and if I'm lucky and she says yes, this hopefully will be my last post--fingers crossed!!

I've looked at several dozen diamonds over the last several weeks and have narrowed my search down to two stones, and I was wondering if you all could opine on (1) which stone is better, and (2) whether there is something I should look out for in each stone (bad inclusions, too shallow girdle, etc.). Specifically, I'd like to know which stone, in you all's opinion, has more favorable inclusions that are less likely to be seen with the naked eye.

The first stone is a 1.02, D, SI1, with a cut grade of Very Good (Good polish and Very Good symmetry) and with medium fluorescence. The measurements are 6.30 - 6.36 x 4.03. The main inclusion in this stone is a cloud that appears primarily off the table. Should this be a concern of mine? Do you prefer this stone?

The second stone is a 1.04, D, SI1, with a cut grade of Excellent (Very good polish and Very Good symmetry) , and with no fluorescence. The measurements are 6.5 - 6.56 x 4.00. The inclusions are spread throughout the diamond with a few inclusions appearing in the middle of the table. Is this something that I should be concerned about? Do you prefer this stone?

I've looked at both stones in person, and I--being an untrained novice--cannot see the inclusions without a loop. Both stones are priced around the same, and again, I would love, welcome and greatly appreciate you all's help. It has been pretty stressful the last few weeks, and I'm really looking forward to ending my search and proposing. Thanks in advance!

 

[Ravinmad]

can you get actual images, idealscopes, or any additional information that can be posted to help us, help you?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Well, the first stone would be ruled out off the bat because it is very deep and is smaller than a one carat stone should be. Did you notice that it is only 6.3mm whereas the other is 6.5mm? You want a stone that is no deeper than 62.3%, and I try to find stones that are less than 62.0, personally. A one carat stone should at least be 6.4mm, or otherwise, you may as well look at stones under a carat that are better cut.

The second stone has a pavilion angle that is too high. You generally want the pavilion angle to be 40.6 to 41.0 or maybe a little higher depending on the crown angle.


Using the HCA cut tool, the second stone scores a very high 5.4. Generally, you want a score of 2.0 or less, although there are also some good stones in the 2-3 range.

https://www.pricescope.com/tools/hca

But basically, you want all the areas to say excellent or very good, and that stone scores good to fair on everything except spread, and that is at very good. (And most really excellent stones score very good on spread, so that is fine.)

I am sorry to say that neither of these stones would be worth buying to me. I try to allow for stones that are on the edge of excellent, but neither of these is really at that place. You also want at least very good for polish and symmetry.

(I don't think he needs idealscopes because these can be ruled out by the reports.)

 

[Ravinmad]

ah, agreed DS I had a monday brain nerf on using HCA on them.

Do you have a budget your trying to maintain for this 1ct diamond? We might be able to suggest some ideas.

 

[Bbfe]

Thank you all for the incredibly fast responses!! I really appreciate them. From what I gather, you're saying that the cut on the second diamond is slightly better than the cut on the first diamond, but both diamonds are not cut very well, right? I never knew that there were other grading scales besides the cut grade on GIA certificates.

What about the inclusions? For SI1s, are crystals typically better than clouds? Do crystals appear more or less eye clean than clouds? Out of these two stones, which inclusions are more risky and less risky? Are SI1's normally eye clean or what percent are eye clean?

I'm looking to stay under 7k, and both these stones are under that price. I haven't really seen any other stones at 1ct, D-F, SI1 or better under 7k

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You really can't tell anything about whether inclusions are eyeclean from a lab report. Some SI1's are eyeclean and some are not. I usually think of clouds being cleaner than crystals, but so much depends on the location and quantity of the inclusions.

I just would rule out #1 period because it is too small for a 1 ct. I'd rather see you go for a .90 stone that was better cut. The second one really got such a poor score on the cut tool, and I know that is hard to understand when GIA rates it as excellent. But some within "excellent cut" are much better than others since it is a very broad range.

I would not limit myself to these two stones because it is just too much of a compromise when there are so many other stones to choose from. I'll look and see if I see any contenders in your budget.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, it is a little hard to find much in excellent cut (good HCA scores) and the other specs you want within your budget, but I have found a few worth looking at. I would recommend calling someone like ID Jewelry in NYC and have them call in a few for you and take idealscope images to see which look best and also which are most eyeclean. They usually offer low prices as well. (Multiple vendors list the same stones because they have access to the same diamond suppliers. So I am just listing some from one vendor but many vendors can get the same stones.)

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=637587&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=626044&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=518777&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=609726&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=654869&ref=pricescope

 

[Bbfe]

Diamondseeker,

Thank you a ton for your patience and help! I checked out the stones you listed, and I like them all. Generally, do you know what percent of SI1 1ct diamonds will appear eye clean? I think I heard from someone that the vast majority will appear eye clean, but I'm not sure if they were telling me the truth.

Additionally, what inclusions are the least intrusive and most likely to be eye clean? For example, how much more likely is a cloud to be eye clean than a crystal?

 

[lapelirroja]

Each stone is unique, and as such, needs to be examined on its own to determine whether or not it is eye-clean. The inclusion plots dont help either.

Have you/your intended determined that you can go no lower than F in terms of color? Might get more size/better clarity/better cut if you go down to G/H...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, it is true that the only way to be sure a stone is eyeclean is for someone to examine it. We don't know if crystals are white or black from an inclusion plot. Some people only tell you if the stone is eyeclean from the top, but if the stone is in a solitaire setting, you might really want eyeclean from the sides. I'll try to take a look at all of those inclusion plots and tell you which ones I might ask about first, but it is possible they are all eyeclean or all not eyeclean! I am not sure I have heard a percentage of stones that will appear eyeclean.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Okay, it is a little hard to find much in excellent cut (good HCA scores) and the other specs you want within your budget, but I have found a few worth looking at. I would recommend calling someone like ID Jewelry in NYC and have them call in a few for you and take idealscope images to see which look best and also which are most eyeclean. They usually offer low prices as well. (Multiple vendors list the same stones because they have access to the same diamond suppliers. So I am just listing some from one vendor but many vendors can get the same stones.)

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=637587&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=626044&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=518777&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=609726&ref=pricescope

http://www.eternitydiamonds.com/diamond_detail.php?id=654869&ref=pricescope

#1 (1.00 D SI1) I like #2 better because of the spread, but it would be my 4th choice

#2 (1.00 E SI1) Few inclusions but needs to be seen, nice spread at 6.5mm

#3 can't see inclusion plot

#4 (1.00 F SI1) has inclusions off to side, has potential

#5 (1.01 F SI1) has twining wisps which have the potential to be almost invisible to the eye. So this one has possibilities and almost 6.5mm.

#2 and #5 are largest so those would be my top picks and #4 and then #1. All will be very white (colorless) diamonds.

 

[Dancing Fire]

neither!! look for a better cut stone.

IMO...the best kind of SI inclusions are stones with tiny crystals scattered over the stone.

 

[Bbfe]

Thanks for all the help everyone! I have one last question. Does fluorescence matter? I've been told by some people to avoid fluorescent diamonds and by others that it doesn't matter? If I'm looking to get a D, does this matter at all?